As DVD and videogame technology take the next evolutionary step to high-def,
Warner Home Video is planning to reignite
its popular 'Dirty Harry' franchise with the release next year of a high-def
DVD box set collection and new videogame, reports Video Business.

Though no exact street date in 2007 has yet to be determined, Warner has announced
it will release all five films in the popular series -- 'Dirty Harry,' 'The
Enforcer,' 'The Gauntlet,' 'Sudden Impact' and 'The Dead Pool' -- as part of
'The Dirty Harry Collection' on both the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats.

Warner Interactive is also overseeing the development of a new 'Dirty Harry'
videogame for simultaneous release with the box set, and will feature new voice
contributions from Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Laurence Fishburne.

" We want to extend our intellectual properties over many, many platforms...
[and] we think that [videogames] is a natural logical business to be in,"
said Warner Bros. Entertainment chair-CEO Barry Meyer. "This is an aggressive
plan to maintain heat [for 'Dirty Harry'] and build upon that. This will be
one of the most comprehensive [product launches] in the entertainment business."

In anticipation of the 2007 release of 'The Dirty Harry Collection' on high-def
DVD, the studio will place the current standard DVD editions of all five films
in the series on moratorium beginning September 1, 2006, for a period of "at
least a year," said Meyer. It marks the first time in the company's history
it has made any of its film library unavailable to consumers, according to the
studio.

Founded in April 2006, High-Def Digest is the ultimate guide for High-Def enthusiasts who demand only the best that money can buy. Updated daily and in real-time, we track all high-def disc news and release dates, and review the latest disc titles.